2010 Visit Reports

Aurora

Black Watch

Boudicca

Braemar

Crystal Symphony

Discovery

Empress

Eurodam

Funchal

Marco Polo

MSC Opera

MSC Poesia

Ocean Countess

Prinsendam


Previous Visit Reports

Arcadia

Arion

Black Watch

Hebridean Princess

Ocean Majesty

Van Gogh

This was a day of firsts: my first time on a MSC ship; my first ship visit organised by the Ocean Liner Society; and my first visit to the City Cruise Terminal. All this made it an interesting day, to say the least.

After a quick drive down to Southampton in time to meet the rest of the group a security guard told me where to park, along with those magic words “its free don’t put money in “

It is hard to describe MSC Poesia. It is not a block of flats like so many of the latest ships. It is almost like Fincantieri have a mould that gets used for many ships, with the odd tweak to make them slightly different, I could see bits of Oceana and Sea Princess in the design. Built in 2008, at 92,480 gross tons, MSC Poesia accommodates 2550 passengers. She is the third of a series of six ships of which four had been delivered by the end of 2010. The three final ships will be slightly larger than MSC Poesia, but not as large as the MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida which are 137,936 gross tons. All will be built by STX Europe (formerly Aker Yards and before that Chantiers de l'Atlantique) and MSC will then own 12 ships from this yard.

What did seem strange was that this was not a turnaround day. It was a day in port for the passengers so it was very interesting to see maps of Southampton being given away and many passengers walking off into the sunshine to do and see what Southampton could offer. All completely different from the normal mad rush to get the car and go home.

After a number of name checking sessions, and having to put my belt in the x ray machine, we arrived in the departure lounge which seemed a very pleasant place to while away time waiting to go on board. Boarding took place in groups and we joined a group of travel agents, and boarded via the gangway. There was then a wait whilst a guide could be found, who would lead our tour.

First impressions now onboard: well it is not P&O to say the least. The very Italian décor of clean lines, minimalism in furniture design and somewhat garish colour schemes, in places, makes it a very visual experience. There are many mirrors, bright colours and, for me, low ceilings that create a very vibrant atmosphere. Every corner seemed to have a bar of some description in it.

The tour started with a quick look at the tour desk, and the multicultural aspect of cruising with MSC was clearly apparent, with tour details available in many languages. Overall costs and types of tours offered seem similar to tours I have seen advertised elsewhere. We then visited two large lounges, which covered the width of the ship. A notable point is the huge portholes on the main passenger deck, which were a feature. The Zebra Lounge suffered from a bad attack of the stripes; walls, floors soft furnishing - not a place to spend any time in bad weather. We visited the theatre next, which was very impressive with multi levels and very clear sight lines. It seats 1300 passengers at a time.

We then moved on to a very large casino - which appeared to offer many ways to lose your money. The library followed, which was almost an afterthought in terms of design, space and what was on offer. Perhaps a visit to a bookshop would be a good idea for those of us who like to read on holiday.

Next door is a sushi bar which somehow seems to be out of place in terms of its offering. I would look forward to an Italian approach to food when cruising with MSC, rather than raw fish.

Due to the fact that it was not a turnaround day we were unable to look in any of the cabins, which was a pity. We were told that they were spacious and well laid out by the MSC sales manager. A short unguided tour of the upper deck followed. Using the small lifts we zoomed up to deck 13 to be greeted by Southampton drizzle, which limited the exploration. A small seawater pool that was somewhat pea green in its appearance greeted us. The other much larger pool had been emptied and was being given a full deep clean. There is no roof over the area, plenty of sun beds seemed to be available, and a small TV screen could be seen at the far end of the deck, (not as large as those on Princess ships.) We were not sure what would be shown on it either.

I looked briefly at a price list for ice creams and drinks, which were priced in euros, and seemed to be slightly more expensive than those on our recent P&O cruise.

We returned to the main restaurant where very professional waiters served an excellent lunch, which was well presented with a very strong Italian theme, and with plenty of wine on offer. The restaurant was quite crowded in its layout, with tables close together. I imagine it could get quite noisy in there!

MSC had done a very good job on promoting its new summer Southampton season with MSC Opera next year.

So what impression did I leave with, and would we cruise with MSC, which in some ways makes these visits so interesting? Well my wife described it as having a foreign holiday without any flying, which starts in Southampton. This has to be a very strong attraction. The ship is very glitzy and much more like a European style hotel, I didn’t see enough of the ship, during our short tour, to form a strong opinion either way. However, never say never! I am sure with its 8-day cruise itinerary and very keen pricing it will be popular.

Thanks must go to MSC, for allowing us to visit the MSC Poesia, and for the work done by Peter Godliman, who has presented us with a fist class schedule of ship visits. Well done.